Haiti: Servant Hearted

Back when the oldest of these kids were in elementary school, my youth pastor gave us an acronym to pray over our ministry trips. We were asked to pray that the teams would SURF. S was for servant hearted.

That first year that we prayed it was powerful, tangible, as if God was reaching down to grab us by the shoulders and make us see that He did, indeed, answer prayers. And, then, I remembered, and prayed it this year for this team...

In the middle of a long day of fundraising and training, when their eyes are flagging and heads are nodding, I mention another task that needs to be completed, my task, something that I didn't have the time to do before, and they jump on it - across the church and finished before a leader can be quick enough to follow.

There is construction work going on at HCM, another team there prepping for a pastors' conference. Every time that I turn around, there are students asking to spend their precious moments of rest over doing work that "isn't theirs," asking to serve with their hands and their time and their energy. Too tired to go to the lake and swim. Too tired to play games or even really talk. But, not too tired to paint and sand and hammer.

Teenaged boys carefully portion out the food that they put on their plates, making sure that there is enough for everyone, and patiently waiting to see if there is enough for seconds. It seems simple, when a fifteen year old boy eats a single pancake for breakfast and then refuses to crowd to the front of the lunch line, but it is huge, and oh se telling of the truth in these young hearts.

We bump and jostle them and slop out in the liquid in their souls, and still service comes out.

"I'd love to."

They answer with a phrase from a youth pastor they have never really known, and there is humility when they say it, but also an honest pride. Pride that this is good, this is right, this is how life is intended to be lived. Because, really, they would love to.

Love to walk back to the bus to get the bags of water before it can be recognized that they are needed. Love to dance with children in a hot, sweaty church until everything is ready for the next step. Love to play and laugh and run until they are wet with the humidity of it. Love to pile hot, sweaty kids onto their hot sweaty selves. Love to stack rice and suitcases and water filters.

Love to smear each other with aloe and Neosporin. Love to share their snacks in the times when there are not meals. Love to pray. Love to sing. Love to watch like hawks and point out the good in one another. Love to wait. Love to go. Love to clean and wash dishes and pick up trash from under seats.

Whatever it is that you could think to ask, they wold love to.